Like the game of “telephone” that we all played as a kid, executive statements can sometimes get jumbled and misconstrued on its way to the printing presses. It seems that may be what happened when Intel Germany CEO Hannes Schwaderer reportedly confirmed the existence of an Intel Atom-powered iPhone variant with a larger (720×480) display – an Apple iPhone mini-tablet, if you will.

The German Intel head was quoted as saying:

As part of an Intel event for the 40th birthday of the semiconductor company at Munich’s BMW World, Germany managing director Hannes Schwaderer confirmed today what has long been a rumor on the Internet: namely, that there is an iPhone with Intel’s new Atom chip. The device is slightly larger than the current version, Schwaderer said. That is not, however, because of the Intel chip, but because of the larger display used in the new iPhone.

But, Intel today has denied that such a statement was ever made, and has categorically denied the validity of the report.

“No Intel exec has said anything about any future Apple product, Atom processor or otherwise,” an Intel spokesperson told AppleInsider. “I think that’s important to note as everyone speculates on future products from Apple.”

Furthermore, editors from other news outlets seem to agree with Intel in that the Intel chief never made specific claims to a larger version of the iPhone powered by Intel’s Atom chip. While a passing reference was made to the iPhone, it seems that the original quote was completely misconstrued.